Do you ever feel as if your entire life could do with a makeover? Perhaps you’ve recently experienced a few setbacks, or maybe you’re just feeling stuck in a rut. It happens, but knowing what to do about it can be quite a hard challenge. Sometimes just making it through the week feels like your loftiest achievement. You feel overwhelmed, overtired and overworked, and you can’t see the way out of your daily grind.
You know vaguely that you should be making positive steps — finding a new workout routine, putting more effort into your friendships, finally Marie Kondo-ing your wardrobe — but you just don’t have the energy or the knowledge to begin it when it seems so overwhelming. It is possible to restyle your life and make the positive changes you’d love to see, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. The biggest of changes really does begin with a simple step, so take some small actions to get started — ones you can fit in this weekend. Make a stay and you can feel re-energized, motivated and fresh again.
Overhaul Your Workout
Spring is here and the lighter evenings and mornings are a great time to put a brand new workout routine in place. Begin by changing your mindset. Exercise isn’t something we have to do – it’s a gift we give to ourselves, precious me time in a busy day. A good workout is also a source of energy, not a drain on it, and among the very many health benefits of taking regular exercise is the fact that it will help you to sleep better and give you that energy boost you’ve been seeking. It doesn’t have to be about grinding away on a treadmill. The key is to try out a few things and find something you enjoy. Whether that’s lacing your trainers up and going for a run outside or finding a group spin class, once you get into what you love it becomes a really positive force in your life.
Give A Boost To Your Friendships
We may like to think that our friendships are effortless, but the truth is, even the best ones take a bit of effort and maintenance. This weekend, make the decision to reconnect with one old friend whose presence you miss in your life. Life gets in the way sometimes, but you have the chance to get in contact and make it right — it doesn’t have to be awkward. In this constantly-on digital world, it’s easy to end up with lots of virtual friends and no real-life ones — making time for face to face interaction does wonders for your wellbeing and will leave you feeling so much better mentally.
Re-Find Your Inspiration
When you feel like you’ve lost your direction in life and your get-up-and-go, reclaim it back by finding some new inspiration. Plan out some achievable goals for yourself, with simple steps that will get you to where you want to be. Freshen up your CV and start to plan out career moves you could make or even think about starting your own business. Or find a new role model whose courage, hard work and success can inspire you afresh – someone from the world of tech like Sheryl Sandberg or mental health like Cynthia Telles. Hearing the story of someone who has done great things can give you a new inspiration to make changes in your own life.
Meal Prep For Success
How many times have you had great intentions for a week of healthier eating, only to get caught late in a meeting, come home tired and turn to a ready meal or a takeaway? Those options aren’t good for our health, waistlines or wallets. The secret lies in taking some time once a week to prep for the week or even the month ahead. Batch cook tasty, healthy recipes that you like, parcel them up into portions in a freezer bag, label them, and stash them away. Then when you come home, all you have to to is pull one of your healthy meals out of the freezer, reheat and eat. It’s the convenience without the calories. If you have a slow cooker, you can prep bags of frozen ingredients that you can add to the cooker along with a cup of water in the morning, switch on and go, then come home to a delicious home cooked meal ready to go. The same concept works with smoothies or breakfast muffins for a healthy breakfast in the morning. your future self will thank you for being so well prepared!
Clutter Bust Your Paper Junk
Most of us have areas of clutter in our homes, and while we may not pay much attention to them, they could well be having a subconscious impact on our mental health. One of the prime culprits is paper clutter – old magazines and newspapers, bills, advertising material, files and more. Having a lot of paper clutter is not good for our mental health or the environment. We might think it’s innocuous enough, but piles of paper subliminally cause micro-distractions that can lead to fractured concentration and lower productivity.
There isn’t actually any need for piles of paper in the digital age — magazines can be read digitally via an app like
Makeover Your Downtime
Want to be busy doing nothing? An extremely important element of your weekend is making time to recharge your mental and physical batteries. Sometimes we have a sense that we should be active all the time, but taking time out is just as important, especially when we have busy working lives or even run a business. Disconnect from it all by making sure you have some phone-free time, even just a few hours can make a huge difference. Take the time to read a book, try some relaxation breathing techniques or even just sit with a cup of coffee and watch the world go by. You’ll feel all the better for it.
